5 Common Side Effects Of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT)
The topic of HRT comes up in my clinic because women are weighing up whether they should take HRT at the time of the menopause. I’m often asked: ‘Should I take it?’ ‘Is it safe?’ ‘What are the side effects?’
Some women that feel that HRT is the best thing that ever happened to them, but others wish they'd known that there were lots of pitfalls that no one told them about.
There are a number of well-documented risks that may be associated with using HRT, so in this week’s Weekly Wisdom I want to talk specifically about 5 common side effects associated with taking HRT.
Weight gain: In a survey, we did a while back and we found on average that the women gained 18 pounds in weight in the first year of taking HRT.
Headaches: So if you already suffer from headaches or migraines, you can actually get worsening symptoms. Some women find that their doctors tell them to come off HRT because of worsening migraines.
Hair loss/thinning: Some women find that they lose hair on their head or their hair thins when they're taking HRT.
Extreme PMS: Many women feel that they've got severe PMS when they take HRT and that their hormones are up and down for many days during the month.
The growth of cysts: Another side effect that we don't really hear much about but I hear from some patients is that if they've had fibroids, endometriosis and ovarian (oestrogen dependent) cysts, then these grow more.
There are a lot of things that you can do to help yourself naturally without taking Hormone Replacement Therapy. I have a programme that's been running for many, many years, helping women through menopause naturally.
I’ve talked a lot about my thoughts about HRT in the past, so if you want to know more about HRT here are some videos that might be helpful:
To find out more about what’s really going on in your body at the time of the menopause and how you can overcome symptoms without having to take HRT or any drugs. join me at my next free Master Class.
